The Secret of Kells

Today I'm watching The Secret of Kells (2009), an animated movie starring the voices of Evan McGuire, Brendan Gleeson, and Mick Lally. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 2009 Academy Awards, but lost to the film Up by Disney and Pixar. The plot is mostly fictional, with elements rooted in reality- for example, there is an existing book of Kells, likely to be written in Ireland during the Medieval ages, on Christian Gospels. It was also rumored to have been passed around multiple times, including once during the Vikings' explorations and invasions, as seen in the animated film.

The most notable credits to the film, I think, are the musical score and animation. The music is haunting, religious, and beautiful. Written by Tomm Moore and Bruno Coulais, and performed by Christen Mooney, the music inside the fort of Kells itself is solemn, with a definite Christian element. The music of the forest is quite different: the tinkling sounds of chimes sound like magic and morning due. It feels peaceful, beautiful, and original. There are also great elements of traditional Irish music in the piece as well, giving a strong cultural feel to the movie. If you've ever heard Irish bagpipes and rhythm, you know where you are when this film is taking place. And it all works very well with the animation.

The animation style is not like anything I had seen before it, but if I had to draw a comparison, it would be to the introduction of the movie Mulan, in which the city is being painted out of ink in traditional Chinese style. The Secret of Kells really comes with its own feel, though. If Jewish Gypsies of the late Middle Ages could animate, it would look very much like this. The sharp angles, but sweeping motions in the animation are artistically striking. This feels very much like a foreign film- Disney aint got nothin' on this. :P

The plot is simple enough for a child to follow, but not too boring for an adult. It's not a comedy, so there isn't any American "adult humor" stuck into the work as is generally seen in our children's pieces. This is an interesting genre for an animated piece, but the animation serves it very well. There's never a question of "Did this have to be an animation? Couldn't it have been live action?" The animation works very well with the elements of older times and magic, and would not have been as elaborate in a live-action piece.

In my opinion, this isn't just a good movie to show children to help build religious tolerance and cultural significance, but is entertaining for adults to watch as well (varying from person to person, of course). It's cute and certainly indulgent for those who appreciate the artwork. I do agree that Up was more deserving of "Best Animated Feature Film," but perhaps if the criteria had been more art based in nature, things would have turned out differently.